Phoenix
by Aquabreeze93
Summary: Kathy Stabler is found brutally murdered, and the SVU team must catch the killer. But out of the ashes of this tragedy, Elliot realizes that he's in love with the woman comforting him.
1. Prologue: Atlas

_A/N: This is the first Law and Order: SVU story I've written that I've posted. The idea came to me well before Chris Meloni left the show, so these events take place prior to "Scorched Earth", assuming that Elliot had gotten over what happened in the precinct at the end of "Smoked", and that the events in "Scorched Earth" don't happen. Which is what would've happened if Chris hadn't left. But enough of my babbling. I am proud to present...  
><em>

Law and Order: Special Victims Unit: "Phoenix"

Prologue: Atlas

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><p><em><strong>In the criminal justice system, sexually based offenses are considered especially heinous. In New York City, the dedicated detectives that investigate these vicious felonies are members of an elite squad known as the Special Victims Unit. These are their stories.<strong>_

Stabler Residence  
><span>256 Central Park West, Apt #2A<span>  
><span>Tuesday, July 26th, 2011, 1:05 PM<span>

The front hallway was surprisingly dark and filled with shadows, as Elliot Stabler opened the door and stepped inside. He smirked as he noticed a familiar black patent leather purse hooked to the coat tree, and turned around to lock the door. It wasn't often that Elliot got a long lunch. His job got in the way of any lunch hour on a regular basis. But all was quiet at the precinct, for once. So, he'd thought of surprising Kathy with a visit in the middle of the day.

"Hey, hun! Guess who got an extra hour for lunch?" He yelled.

There was no answer.

"Honey? You there?" The cop inside Elliot woke up, his highly trained mind telling him that something was wrong. If her purse was here, than she was here, but if she were alright, she would've said something or come to greet him. She was a light sleeper, after all. And it wasn't like her to sleep in the middle of the day. Not wanting to take any chances, he took out his gun, a standard issue black pistol. He held the gun in both hands against his right leg as he walked cautiously towards the bedroom. When he turned the corner, his stomach flipped.

There was a pool of crimson seeping out from under the locked bedroom door. _Blood._

"KATHY!"

Elliot ran at the door and grabbed the knob, his boots stepping in the gruesome puddle. The door rattled, refusing to let him in. His adrenaline pumping, he pointed his gun in front of him, and kicked down the door with all the force he could muster. He ran in as fast as his feet could carry him. But the scene in front of him made him stop in his tracks.

A path of red went from the door to the bed where Kathy lay naked, in a heap of white sheets that were soaked with scarlet around her pale form. Her eyes were closed, her mouth agape her hair messy and sticky. Her body was covered in bruises and cuts, including a horizontal gash going across her neck, where blood was still oozing out.

Elliot was speechless. It was like every other gruesome crime scene he'd seen- but this was his home. His bed. And worst of all, his wife lying there. Everything he'd ever learned as a cop told him that she was dead, but he couldn't bring himself to accept that, even if the evidence in front of him told him otherwise. He hadn't turned off his walkie-talkie- his hand trembling, he lifted it off his belt and pressed the button to call it in.

"D-dispatch, I need- a- a bus t-to- 256 Central Park West… Apartment 2A."

"_Copy that. Confirm, that's _your_ apartment, Detective?"_

"A-affirmative."

"_Ten-four. Bus on route."_

His job done, he walked over to his wife, stunned, and picked up her limp form in his arms. She felt cold. The blood was getting on his clothes, but he really didn't care.

"Oh god, Kathy… Please, wake up. You gotta wake up, Kathy, please…"

His hand shaking, he placed two fingers underneath her chin in the side of her neck. No pulse. _No, oh god no… Kathy, please…_ He hugged her tightly as he closed his own eyes, feeling hot tears streaming down his cheeks. It wasn't long before sirens grew louder, then roared to a stop outside.

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><p><em>AN: And there it is, the first chapter of my first Law and Order: SVU fic! I'm looking forward to your reviews. The next chapter will be up on October 3rd; one week from today._


	2. Chapter 1: Rubble

_A/N: I'm very sorry for the lateness! I had computer issues and a bit of writer's block. But here it is! You can still look for the next update on Monday._

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><p><span>Chapter 1: Rubble<span>

Manhattan SVU Headquarters, 16th Precinct  
><span>One Police Plaza, Midtown Manhattan<span>  
><span>Tuesday, July 26th, 2011, 1:10 PM<span>

Olivia Benson sat at her desk, going through paperwork on a recently closed case. She raised her head to look at John Munch, another detective in her division, as he sat at his desk a few feet away. She narrowed her eyes.

"A crossword puzzle?" She asked, mockingly.

Munch looked up. "C'mon, Liv! There's no open cases right now."

"So catch up on paperwork or somethin'." quipped Fin Tutuola, the other detective, as he walked by, a case file in hand. "Way I see it, no cases is good news."

Olivia glanced over at her partner's empty desk. "Shouldn't Elliot be back from lunch by now?" she wondered aloud.

"Don't sweat it, he's fine." Fin reassured her. "Said he was goin' home for lunch today."

Olivia nodded silently. Nevertheless, she couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong. Her gut feeling proved right before she could dwell on it, as Captain Cragen came briskly walking out of his office, his face wrinkled with more worry than usual.

"Elliot just made a distress call from his apartment," he said.

Olivia didn't stick around for the details. She grabbed her badge and gun, and ran out the door. Fin, Munch and Cragen watched her go. It was useless to stop her.

Her partner was in trouble.

Stabler Residence  
><span>256 Central Park West, Apt #2A<span>  
><span>Tuesday, July 26th, 2011, 1:15 PM<span>

Elliot only put down Kathy when he heard the paramedics at the front door. He had to let them in, didn't he? "She's in the bedroom, around the corner to the left." He said, detached. He couldn't look them in the eye. He just hoped that it wasn't too late. He knew that it was, but he'd be damned if he was going to admit it, even to himself.

He followed the EMTs into the bedroom, where he sat in the chair near the window, facing towards the bed. He silently watched them work. He couldn't say anything, couldn't do anything.

They performed CPR on her for a few minutes, but it wasn't long before one of them looked up at a watching medic and shook their head. The lead physician, an African-American man in his mid-30s, somberly walked over to where Elliot sat.

"Detective Stabler?"

Elliot clasped his hands in front of him and looked up. "Yeah?"

"I'm sorry, there's nothing more we can do. Looks like she's been dead for a while."

_Dead._ Hearing that word describing his wife shot through his stomach like a sword.

Elliot nodded silently, and stared at the floor. Images of Kathy kept running through his mind, until someone tapped him on the shoulder.

He looked up with a start to see Doctor Warner standing over him, clipboard in hand. He'd been so far gone into his thoughts, he hadn't even noticed when the CSU team had arrived. Here they were, spreading police tape all over his house, taking evidence photos. Everything he was used to, everything he'd seen at every crime scene he'd ever investigated. But this was so different, so foreign… because his home was the crime scene. And Kathy was the victim.

"Sorry, should I leave the scene now?" he said, his voice emotionless from shock.

"Actually, I'm going to need you to take off your shirt. Your wife's blood is on it."

Elliot sighed, and unbuttoned his shirt, and half-threw it into Doctor Warner's hand. "Can I get another shirt, or do you have to swab the drawers for prints?" he quipped.

"You can if you put these on," she said, handing him a pair of latex gloves.

He took the gloves and put them on, glaring at Warner as he did. He strode across the floor to the closet in the opposite corner.

"I'll need your boots too. You did track a bit of blood."

"Yeah, I know." He said as he opened a drawer and picked out the first shirt he saw. He bent down and undid his boots, which had a messy film of drying blood on the bottom, and put them at Warner's feet. He then grabbed a pair of black boots that were sitting neatly on the closet floor. "So, what do we know so far?" he said.

Warner sighed. "Elliot, you know how this looks, right?" She said as they walked out of the bedroom, down the hall and into the living room.

"What?" Elliot glared at her, mouth wide open as he sat down in a chair to put his boots on.

"The paramedics saw you at the door with blood on your shirt, and you tracked blood on the floor. There's a red boot print on the bedroom door that will probably match yours, and I'm almost sure we're going to find your fingerprints on her."

His boots on, Elliot stood up, his hands clenched into fists. "You think _I_ killed her?"

"I know you didn't, but the evidence suggests-"

"-Don't tell me what the evidence suggests, Doc! I did not kill my wife, and how_ dare_ you think that I could _possibly_-"

"-the evidence only suggests you were tampering with the crime scene, Elliot!" Warner snapped.

Elliot paused. He was lashing out at Warner, not only out of grief, but also anger. Kathy wasn't just dead- his cop instincts told him it was obvious that someone had killed her. He was taking his anger at the murderer out on Warner. Elliot exhaled. "I'm sorry."

"It's alright. I understand." Warner nodded with a half-smile. She started to walk back towards the crime scene. He was about to follow, when-

"Elliot!"

He turned around, and saw Olivia standing in the doorway. She ran to where he stood and hugged him tightly. He found his arms reaching around her shoulders to return the hug. She rested her head on his neck as he put his face in her hair, closing his eyes. He was relieved to see her. A friend was what he needed the most right now.

"We heard over at the precinct that you'd called for a bus…" she said. "I thought you… I thought you were…"

"I'm fine, Liv," he insisted, resting his chin on her shoulder. "It's Kathy. Someone… someone killed her…" his voice began to croak, holding back tears.

Olivia pulled back enough to look at him, her eyes wide with concern, sympathy and shock. "Oh my god, El, I'm so sorry."

Elliot wanted to say it was fine, but… well, it wasn't. His wife was dead. There was nothing 'fine' about it. He smiled a little bit, just enough to reassure her. Seeing her was a welcome distraction from his grief. She wiped a tear from his eye, and as he exhaled, he felt himself calming down. He didn't need to cry anymore, at least for now. They'd fought that off together, like they'd fought everything else for the past twelve years.

"Would you two get a room?"

They turned their heads to see that Munch had been the source of the remark. Olivia pulled away and pushed her auburn hair behind her ears before putting her hands on her hips to glare at the gray-haired detective. "Munch, this really isn't the time for jokes. Someone murdered Kathy."

"I know, Liv. Cragen told us after you ran off. Glad to hear that you're okay, Elliot." Munch said, businesslike. Elliot nodded. He hadn't really been that offended, anyway. Munch was always making comments like that, no matter the circumstances. It probably kept him sane.

"You_ ran off_?" Elliot asked, teasing.

Olivia chuckled. "Don't say you wouldn't do the same for me, El." She retorted. She turned her head to stare at him, the usual grin spreading across her face. He gazed at her out of the corner of his eye, and smirked, silently telling her that yes, he would do the same for her.

Someone grunted, and Elliot became aware of Captain Cragen walking in through the door. The sight of his superior sent him crashing back to reality. It hit him again, this time like a ton of bricks- _Kathy. Dead_. In those few moments with Olivia, he'd almost forgotten- almost. She almost muted his awareness of the situation- he knew, but he was comforted enough to act like his normal self. But that moment of comfort was gone- he slipped back into a state of shock.

Cragen approached them. "Elliot... I'm sorry." He said, placing a hand on his shoulder for a brief moment. Elliot could only look at the floor. Cragen turned to face all three of the detectives. "Warner said it looks like a rape-murder."

Olivia flinched, her face twisted in the pain of Cragen's words. Elliot looked up.

"That makes it our case." he pointed out.

"Don't you think for one second that you're getting this case, Elliot."

"Captain-" Olivia began to interject.

"Save it, Liv. You know I can't let him."

He sighed. "Officially, this will be Fin and Munch's case. Liv, you're going to help them. Elliot… look, just _try_ to stay away, alright? I can't protect you if Internal Affairs pays you a visit. I've already had to fight off Major Case for this one, and I will not hesitate to turn it over to them if I hear you're involved."

Elliot nodded. The words barely sunk in.

"Now, I'm going to head back to the precinct and send Fin out here." He looked over the three of them once more. He knew they all needed words of encouragement. He said one more thing to them before he left.

"Let's catch this bastard."

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><p><em>And there you have it! Reviews are greatly appreciated. Chapter 2 arrives on Monday, October 10th! Have a great weekend and a great Yom Kippur, everyone!<em>


	3. Chapter 2: Personal

_A/N: Good evening! I had to do a lot of research with this next part. All of the places mentioned are actual places that I picked out of the New York City area map. If you're interested in my writing and want to follow my work more closely, you can check out my tumblog. The link is in my profile. Now, on with the story!_

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><p><span>Chapter 2: Personal<span>

Captain Cragen's final words of encouragement before returning to the precinct did little to motivate the detectives. They could do nothing else but watch as he left. The fact of the matter was, this was their case now. It was their job to find out who did this, and make sure they paid for their crimes. But it was far from just another day at the office. This was the family of one of their own. It was anything but routine, but they had to treat it as such.

"Elliot, we should probably take your statement now." Munch said grimly, after a long silence.

Elliot nodded. Munch took out a pad and pencil, and walked towards the living room chairs. Elliot followed, but was stopped when Olivia put a hand on his shoulder as he passed by.

"You sure you're ready for this?" she asked.

"...No." He wasn't ready. But he had no choice. It was an eerie feeling, being at the other end of a conversation he'd had many times before. But he knew that Olivia would be watching the whole time. Munch wouldn't step out of line, not on her watch. It gave him just enough courage to sit down across from Munch. Olivia leaned against the wall behind Munch's chair, staring straight at Elliot with her hands in her pockets.

"You know how this works, El." Munch said as he flipped through his notepad.

"Yeah."

"So, just tell me what happened."

"I had an extra hour for lunch today, so I wanted to come home and surprise Kathy. I came in, the lights were off, but her purse was still here."

"Could you point out her purse?" Munch asked.

Elliot pointed to the black leather bag, still hanging on the coat tree, as if it expected its owner to come and pick it up, like always. Olivia signaled a CSU tech to bag it for evidence as Munch continued the interview.

"What happened next?"

"I thought she might be asleep, so I told her I was home. Kathy is-was a light sleeper, so that usually would've woken her."

"That's when you knew something was wrong?"

"Yeah. She doesn't- didn't usually sleep in the middle of the day."

"So what did you do?"

"I thought that someone might be robbing the place or something, so I got out my gun, and I went to check the bedroom. When I got around the corner, I saw the blood under the door."

"Then what?"

"I tried to open the door, but it was locked. So I kicked it down… and, I found her."

"Doctor Warner said you tampered with the body?"

"I didn't_ tamper _with her. I called dispatch for a bus, then I went to check for a pulse. "

"Elliot, your records show that you lived on… Castleside Street in Queens, until last month. Why did you move?"

"Well, Dickie and Liz are about to start their own lives, so we don't- didn't- need as much space. And since Maureen is engaged, we gave the house to her and her fiancé and moved here. It's closer to work anyway."

"What about Eli, your four-year-old?"

"We thought this place would be fine for just the three of us."

"One more question, Elliot. Do you know who might want to kill Kathy?"

Elliot glanced up at Munch, his blue eyes piercing him like daggers. "No," he half-whispered, his voice so frigid, one could swear the room was suddenly colder.

"Hey man, I'm sorry. I gotta ask. You know that." Munch replied defensively.

Elliot clenched his jaw, then glanced at Olivia, who hadn't taken her eyes off him. A few moments went by before he looked back at Munch.

"We done here?" he snapped.

"Yep. Thanks." Munch said coolly, about to get up. Just then, Fin Tutuola walked in.

"Hold that thought." He said. "Apparently there was a riot at Riker's this mornin'. They just finished a head count, and there's one prisoner unaccounted for."

"Who?"

"Andre Bushido."

At the sound of that name, Elliot thought back to that cold November day, nearly three years ago, when he and Olivia had arrested Bushido. Elliot had infiltrated his animal smuggling ring, under the identity of a customs agent named Mike. There was a moment when Bushido was being forced into one of the squad cars when he had shouted something at Elliot.

"_Your family is dead!"_

"…your family is dead…" he whispered to himself, staring at the floor. He stood up suddenly. "Bushido did this."

"Elliot, we gotta take you into protective custody." Fin said.

"What? Why?"

Olivia cut in, knowing the answer. "If he knows your address, then he may know where your kids are."

For the second time today, Elliot was terrified. "I'll go pick up Eli."

"We'll take you to him in one of the squad cars." Munch said, looking down at his phone. "We'll get all your kids a police escort, just tell me where they'd be right now."

"Well, Dickie is stationed at Fort Hamilton, and Kathleen and Liz are at Hudson University… Eli is at daycare at St. Patrick's, and Maureen is probably at her office."

"Where's her office?"

"Bayside Pediatrics, it's at Bell and 24th."

"Her fiancé?"

"I think he's on call at Flushing. Dr. James Epson."

"We'll have Queens PD pick them up." Fin said, picking up his phone.

Munch looked back at Elliot. "Okay, so we'll have a squad car take you to St. Patrick's. Liv, you go with him and get Kathleen and Liz on the way. We'll ask Brooklyn PD to make a call to Fort Hamilton."

"And after we have everyone, where are we going?" Elliot asked.

"We'll set you guys up at a safehouse. You'll have officers there round the clock until Bushido is back in his cell." Fin said.

"Then why are we still standing around?" Elliot half-shouted, getting more worried by the minute.

The detectives left the apartment as quick as they could. Most of them were on their cell phones, coordinating efforts to get the kids out of harm's way. Outside, sirens roared and lights flashed as police cars began speeding off.

All the sirens and voices seemed a blur to Elliot right now. He could only think about his family. Somehow, Bushido had found out Elliot's real identity, escaped from prison, and killed Kathy. And his five children were scattered in different parts of the city with an escaped convict gunning for them.

Elliot had already lost his wife today. He couldn't bear to lose one of his children. But it was clear to him now that when Bushido had yelled at him that day, it wasn't an empty threat.

Andre Bushido intended to kill his family.

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><p><em>Hmmm, are the Stablets going to make it? I guess you'll just have to wait and see. ;) But don't worry (too much)<em>, _you can expect Chapter 3 out on Friday! Please leave me a review (I've gotten so few that I'm really starting to wonder if people are actually interested in this story) and follow my production blog! Have a great week, I'll see you guys on Friday!_


	4. Chapter 3: Retrieval

_A/N: Hey guys! I'm really sorry this is so late. But it's late because this story is becoming all too real to me. My 93-year-old grandfather had a debilitating stroke, and we're not sure if... yeah. He somehow survived brain surgery. He's doing better right now, but it's still touch and go. Oh, AND my mother had to be admitted overnight due to some high blood pressure and chest pains, but she turned out to be fine, thank goodness. So... yeah. Real life's been kind of a bitch lately. I hope you like this long-overdue chapter, though!_

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><p><span>Chapter 3: Retrieval<span>

Elliot and Olivia got into the back of a waiting squad car. There was a dark-haired beat cop at the wheel. "Where we goin', detectives?" He asked, peering at them through the rear view mirror. His voice was a husky baritone with a thick Brooklyn accent.

Olivia put her phone to her ear as she buckled her seatbelt. tilting the mouthpiece away to answer the officer's question.

"Hudson University, Washington Square."

The beat cop flipped a switch above his head, which activated the siren. He stepped on the gas and they took off.

As the car sped down West 86th, and a canopy of green trees closed over them as they entered Central Park, Olivia's phone call went through, and she began to speak to the person on the other end of the line. Elliot watched her intently. He knew that whoever she was calling, it might bring him news about his children.

"Hi, this is Detective Olivia Benson with the NYPD, I need you to pull Kathleen Stabler and Elizabeth Stabler from class and escort them to the Campus Security office. An NYPD officer will pick them up there. ...No, we're not arresting them. We're taking them into protective custody. ...Yes, we believe they're in danger. ...No need for that, the suspect is not interested in harming the other students. ...Okay. Great. What's her dorm number? Thank you."

She hung up and turned to him, her lips pursed with mild annoyance. "They're pulling Elizabeth, but Kathleen doesn't have a class today."

Elliot drew a heavy sigh. Of course she doesn't. "I'll check her dorm."

"Not a chance. You go with-" she turned her head to the cop in the driver's seat, and leaned forward. "I'm sorry, what was your name again?"

"Rizzoli."

"Thanks." she turned back to Elliot. "You and Rizzoli go to Campus Security and get Liz, and I'll check if Kathleen is in her dorm."

Elliot started to interject, but Olivia wouldn't hear it. "If you go with him, then if Cragen asks, you can just say you were there as a father, not a cop."

He sighed again, staring straight ahead. "Alright." He didn't have the energy to fight with Olivia. Not right now.

The squad car made a sharp right onto 5th Avenue. When Olivia had steadied herself, she noticed Elliot's vacant expression; the faraway, terrified look in his eyes. "Hey," she said, tapping him on the shoulder. "We're going to get him, El. There are patrols going to search Bushido's old hangouts in Red Hook, and any place that has to do with you or him. He tries to touch a hair on your kids heads, someone will collar him before he can get near them."

Her phone rang. "Yeah, Fin? ...Alright, thank you." She hung up. "Brooklyn PD got in touch with Fort Hamilton, Dickie's accounted for. They're going to pull him from training exercises so they can take him to the safe house."

Elliot could only nod. Even if they told him they were safe, he'd still have to see them for himself. He'd believed Kathy was safe before he found her. He wasn't going to relax until he saw them, unharmed.

Room 102, Bloomberg Hall  
><span>Hudson University Graduate Dormitories<span>  
><span>82 Washington Square North<span>  
><span>Tuesday, July 26th, 1:45 pm<span>

_Knock knock knock._

Kathleen Stabler sat up in bed, rubbing her eyes.

_Knock knock knock knock._

"Therese, did you forget your key again?" Kathleen yelled, annoyed. She was talking about Therese Ramirez, her roommate.

"Kathleen? It's Olivia. Open up."

_Olivia?_ Kathleen sat up and put on a lavender fleece robe over her PJs, and ran to the door. Her father's partner only came by on her own when something was wrong.

She opened the door. "Olivia? What's wrong, is Dad okay?" Kathleen asked, worried.

"Your Dad's fine," Olivia said, her voice subdued. "I need you to get dressed and gather what you can. We're taking you into protective custody."

"Protective custody? Why, what happened?"

Olivia bit her lip. "Look, all I can tell you is that there's someone after you, and we need to get you to a safe place. Please, get dressed, get your things, and we'll tell you on the way there."

"On the way to _where?_ Olivia, what's going on?" Kathleen was terrified. Something horrible had happened, and not knowing what it was only made it more agonizing.

Olivia sighed. "Kathleen please, there's no time. Look, your Dad's going to get Elizabeth, once we've met up with them, we'll explain everything, I promise. You're just going to have to trust me."

Kathleen crossed her arms. Trusting Olivia _was_ something that came easy to her... After all, she'd known her for most of her life. Olivia had seen her at her worst, and been a vital part of turning her life around. She nodded. "Alright, come in." She opened the door enough to let her inside, and closed it behind her. She grabbed some clothes from her dresser, and went into the bathroom to change, while Olivia sat waiting.

Kathleen was still scared. But she knew that Olivia would keep her safe... from whatever it was that was after her.

Hudson University  
><span>Campus Security Office<span>  
><span>Tuesday, July 26th, 1:50 pm<span>

Elliot followed Rizzoli through the glass doors, where a man in an ill-fitting white uniform and black Segway helmet stood next to Elizabeth, who was sitting in one of the blue chairs lined up against the wall.

"Dad?" she said, looking up.

Elliot exhaled. There she was, safe and sound. He'd never been happier to see his youngest daughter in his life. "Hi, Liz." he said with a half-smile, his voice croaking.

"Sorry, this girl has to leave with the NYPD, not a family member." the security officer cracked.

Rizzoli flashed his badge, as did Elliot. "Officer Rizzoli, Detective Stabler." he said, pointing to himself, then Elliot. "You spoke to Stabler's partner, Olivia Benson, on the phone. Now if you don't mind, we'll take it from here."

The security officer nodded, and Elizabeth stood and walked towards them. As soon as she was in reach, Elliot pulled his daughter into a tight hug, sighing in relief. Elizabeth put her hands on his chest and gently pushed him away enough to look up at him.

"Good God, what the heck happened?" she asked, her voice laced with concern. Elliot didn't answer. He kissed her on the forehead, and with his arm around her shoulders, led her out of the security office onto the quad, Rizzoli following behind them.

As they strode across the large expanse of grass to the police car waiting in the circular driveway, Elliot saw Olivia and Kathleen in the distance. Olivia waved. They met up at the squad car. Elliot could only hug Kathleen before Rizzoli suggested they get on their way.

"We have to pick up Eli first," said Olivia.

When everyone was inside, the squad car took off faster than before, sirens blaring. Elliot sat in the front seat, while Olivia sat in the back with Kathleen and Elizabeth.

"Eli's at St. Patrick's," Olivia informed Rizzoli.

"Got it," Rizzoli said from the driver's seat.

"Will someone please explain what the heck is going on?" Kathleen yelled.

Elliot turned around to face them. He was reluctant, but he wanted to be the one to tell them. "Something... happened to your Mother."

"Mom? Is she okay?" Elizabeth asked. The car fell into a somber silence before Elizabeth spoke up. "Dad, tell me she's okay!"

Elliot was slow to speak. "...I-I'm so- sorry."

"Oh my god, no!" Kathleen shouted before cupping her hands over her mouth in shock as her eyes welled up with tears. Elizabeth shook her head in disbelief, her mouth agape, her eyes shut tightly, before she buried her face in her hands. Olivia sat in between them and placed a comforting hand on the closest shoulder of each girl.

It was Elizabeth that lifted her head first to look at her father. "How?"

Elliot looked at Olivia, indicating that it was alright for her to tell them. "She was murdered. We think it was a convict that escaped from Riker's this morning."

"Have you caught him yet?"

Olivia sighed. "No. That's why we're here. We're taking you all to a safehouse in the Adirondacks until we can get him in custody."

"Why would he do this?" Kathleen asked.

Elliot spoke up. "Because I put him in jail, and he told me that when he got out, he'd kill my family. If he knew where your Mom was, then he might be coming after you next."

St. Nicholas Daycare Center  
><span>St. Patrick's Cathedral, 14 E 51st Street<span>  
><span>Tuesday, July 26th, 2:15 pm<span>

Elliot rushed to the counter in the reception area, which was confined in one of the church's extensive basement rooms. A nun in full traditional robes looked up from the counter.

"Detective Stabler! We were starting to worry, your wife is fifteen minutes late picking up your son." The Sister said.

Elliot was silent for a moment. If he explained the situation to the nun, she'd want to console him, which would take time that they didn't have. He'd have to lie. "Uh, yeah, she couldn't make it. I'd like to take Eli home now." It hurt to lie to a woman of the church, but given the circumstances, what choice did he have?

She led him down a series of small corridors until they reached a brightly colored playroom. A boy with blonde curls sat on one of the foam mats, playing with building blocks. He looked up at them, and smiled, revealing the gap where his first loose tooth had recently fallen out.

"Daddy, Daddy, Daddy!" Eli yelled happily, standing and running towards his father, who knelt and opened his arms as his son ran into him. Elliot stood, picking up Eli and hugging him. "Hey, Eli!" he said with a forced laugh before holding him out in front of him. "Hey, we're going on a little trip today."

"Will Mommy be coming?" Eli asked innocently.

Elliot paused. "...Mommy's too busy right now," he finally said. He couldn't bring himself to tell his youngest son the awful, awful truth. Not when the little boy didn't even know what death was.

Elliot looked back at the nun. "Thank you, Sister."

The nun nodded, and Elliot left the church, carrying Eli in his arms.

Outside, Olivia was leaning against the squad car, her arms crossed. Elliot opened the back door and handed Eli to Elizabeth. "Anything new?" he said, turning to Olivia.

"Well, Queens PD has Maureen and her fiancé is waiting for his ride to meet up with them. And Dickie is already on his way to the safehouse." she paused. "We got them all, El," she added with a comforting smile.

Elliot breathed a huge sigh of relief. His kids were safe. Bushido wouldn't be harming another member of his family. Not today. Not ever.

"Rizzoli went to join the search for Bushido, but he said we could use his car to get to the safehouse," Olivia said.

"We?"

"I'm coming with you. Or would you rather I leave you with a dozen cops you don't know?"

Elliot almost laughed. There was nothing he could do to stop Olivia from coming along. But, why would he want to stop his best friend from joining them, keeping them company, protecting them? The idea was comforting. It would be nice to have a friend to be there with him as the worst of his grief began to set in.

She didn't wait for an answer. "I'm driving," she insisted, dangling the keys in front of him before opening the front door and climbing into the driver's seat. Elliot walked in front of the car and got into the passenger's seat. The squad car sped off, heading north. They would wait out the storm in safety.

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><p><em>Alright, there we go! So, I hope to resume the weekly updates starting this coming Monday, or maybe as soon as this weekend, depending on... stuff. As always, I hope you take the time to review, and also check out Part 1 of my new EO twoshot, Always Faithful. You can find it in my profile. Have a great day!_


	5. Chapter 4: Parenthood

_A/N: Well hello there! It's been a while, hasn't it? I'm very sorry about the extremely long wait. I'll probably have to dust cobwebs off this story for weeks. I had a very... eventful, shall we say, 2012. I went to wilderness therapy camp for treatment of depression and internet addiction, and then I started college. So obviously I've been busy! Heh. Anyway, I also had some trouble with this chapter. This is the first big shipping moment for Elliot and Olivia, and I wanted to get it right. I know this is sort of a bare-bones-skeleton-y sort of deal, but I really wanted to let you all know that I still care about this story, so I can definitely see going back and adding more detail to this part sometime in the future. Anyway, I hope you haven't been *too* on-edge waiting for this. Enjoy!_

Chapter 4: Parenthood

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><p><span>NYPD Safehouse<span>

Undisclosed Location, Somewhere in the Adriondacks, NY

Friday, July 29th, 10:30 pm

This place... it had a certain rustic charm to it. If it wasn't for the six-foot chain link fence around the property, this could be an ordinary cabin. Take away the armored officers, and this could almost be a Stabler family vacation.

Well... minus one.

Olivia and Elliot sat at a round, wooden table in the kitchen. Olivia's cell phone was laid out in the center. Captain Cragen was on the other line, on speaker.

"...So the cause of death was a slit throat. And the fingerprints on Kathy's neck are a match for Bushido."

"That should be enough for the DA." Olivia said, casting a sideward glance at Elliot. "You'd think a career criminal like him would be more careful."

"It's a revenge kill. He didn't care about getting away with it," Cragen mused.

Elliot looked down at a slip of paper in his hand, and wrote something down on it before handing it to Olivia.

"Have they found him yet?" She asked.

They could hear Cragen's exasperated sigh through the phone. "Still been turning up cold. It's been three days, Liv. We're starting to wonder if he's skipped town."

"If he's out for revenge, then he has to stick around to finish the job."

"Let's hope that's true. Look, if I hear anything, you're my first call."

"Thanks, Cap."

"Give Elliot my best. And both of you, stay safe." Cragen hung up. Olivia hung up her phone before turning to Elliot, who was staring blankly out the window, his hands clasped in front of him on the table.

"Penny for your thoughts?"

"Hmm?"

"You've got more than Kathy on your mind."

"It's just- it's Eli. I... I haven't told him. He still thinks she's alive."

She raised her eyebrows in surprise. "Seriously?"

He answered her with silence.

"El, he has to know!"

"I just- I don't know how to tell a five-year-old that his mother isn't coming back."

"But you do! It's SVU 101!"

"He's my son."

She sighed. "Do you need me to tell him?"

Silence.

"El. Do you need me to tell him?"

"I... I don't know."

"Daddy? Livvy?"

They turned, and there was little Eli, walking toward him, holding his favorite stuffed bear, and rubbing his eyes.

"Eli! Everything okay, buddy?" Elliot asked as he took his son onto his lap.

"Did Mommy do something bad?"

"What? No, Mommy didn't do anything bad! Where'd you get that idea?"

"The policeman was leaving so 'nother policeman could come, an' I was 'bout to go to the toilet, an' the policeman saw me, an' he said he was sorry about Mommy. What did Mommy do that made him sorry?"

Elliot took a heavy sigh and looked over at Olivia, who nodded in encouragement.

"Eli... the policeman said that because, he uh..." his voice trailed off, and he looked at Olivia with desperation. He couldn't say it. She understood, and nodded.

"Something bad happened to her." Olivia chimed in gently.

Eli looked up at Olivia, before turning back to his father, who continued to explain. "Liv's right, Eli. Something very bad happened to Mommy. While you were at daycare today, a bad man came to the house while Mommy was sleeping."

"Did the bad guy hurt Mommy?"

"Yes. He did."

"Did Mommy go to heaven?"

Elliot flinched and shut his eyes tight to keep from crying.

"Yes, Eli." Olivia said. "I'm very sorry."

To their surprise, Eli didn't burst into tears, only hung his head. "Aw, I thought Lizzie was playin' a trick on me. But you and Livvy wouldn't lie."

"Did- Did Lizzie tell you about Mommy?" Elliot asked, regaining his composure.

"Uh-huh. An' she said that we came here 'cuz they haven' caught the bad guy yet an' so he might hurt us too."

"That's true too, Eli. But as long as the policemen are here, the bad guy can't hurt us. And, the bad guy doesn't know where we are. He thinks we're still in the city," he explained gently.

"An' the policemen are looking for the bad guy, right?"

"That's right."

"An' even if the bad guy did find us, you and Livvy are Policemen too, Daddy! You'd be brave an' puhtect us!"

"You bet we would," Olivia reassured him.

They heard footsteps in the hall, and Maureen appeared in the doorway. "Eli, what are you doing out of bed?" She asked, rubbing her eye with her palm.

"I wanted to make sure Lizzie was tellin' the truth about Mommy so I asked Daddy and Livvy."

Maureen stepped into the kitchen with a glance at her father. Elliot scooped his son off his lap and handed him to his eldest daughter. "Why don't we go back to your room and we'll talk about it, okay?"

"Okay Reeny. Night Daddy, Night Livvy."

"Goodnight, Eli."

Elliot and Olivia watched as the eldest of the Stabler children carried the youngest out of the kitchen. Dainty footsteps drummed on the ceiling before

"I- he was so calm about it..." Elliot studdered.

"Must be a family trait," his partner noted. " I don't think it's really hit _you_ yet."

He chuckled. "It won't sink in until the funeral. That's how it was when I lost my father."

"Everyone deals with grief in their own way, El," Olivia explained after a brief pause. "He'll be fine, I promise."

He sighed. "Thanks, Liv."

"Don't mention it. You needed a little push."

"Kathy was always the one who dealt with this kind of thing anyway."

"Well, Maureen seems to be doing a good job."

"Sure she is. But she's engaged, remember? She owns the house now. She's getting married in the fall. Pretty soon, she'll have kids of her own. She's got her own life now. I can't ask her to raise her brother, too."

A thought popped up in Olivia's head, and she blurted it out before she could hold herself back. "I could do it."

"...Liv?"

A lump formed in her throat as the gravity of what she'd suggested sunk in. But he'd told her before she'd be a good mother, so why couldn't she be the maternal figure in his life now? "I could... stop by from time to time, help you look after him."

"...Oh."

"What?"

He smirked. "I thought you were saying... something else," he explained sheepishly, a playful twinkle in his eye.

She chuckled, and their eyes met. And then, there was a spark. It wasn't like the lustful gazes they playfully exchanged in the precinct, but a little more heartfelt. For a moment, they thought about raising Eli together. A family. Them.

He held his gaze, his smile turning tender, wistful. She looked at the floor and pursed her lips, smiling coyly. And was it his imagination, or were her cheeks redder than usual?

She leaned forward, and found herself placing a hand on his cheek.

_Ring ring!_

Clearing her throat, she drew back and picked up her phone. Elliot leaned back in his chair, looking at the floor in slight embarrassment.

"Yeah, Cap?"

Her face seemed to relax all at once. "Hold on, I'll tell Elliot." she said before removing the phone from her ear.

"Tell me what?" Elliot asked.

"We got him, El. We got Bushido."

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><p><em>And there you have it! I hope you liked it. I don't know exactly when I can get the next part ready for primetime (I'm about to head back to college. Heh.) but I'm pretty sure it won't be long. As always, don't forget to review, and Happy New Year!<em>


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